1. Field of the Invention
This invention belongs to the health field, specifically food engineering; this study describes the method to prepare a food product based on meat and vegetable protein, through a series of strategic steps. The method consists of preparing an initial dough where the source of vegetable protein, which may be hydrated and exposed at the same time to the mixture with meat that may be pork, beef, poultry, fish or a combination of any of them, which is extruded and then fried/cooked to subsequently give it the relevant form as per the final product appearance. With this technology, products with the appearance of ground meat, sirloin tips (cortadillo), beef strip (fajita), or shredded meat (deshebrada) or the equivalents thereof may be developed. The above products are just an example and the process is not limited to these forms. The ability of the process to prepare meat products with different shapes is given by the process steps that have been selected for the specific product.
Therefore, this invention is a process for the forming of meat substitute food products of animal origin (for example, beef, pork, poultry, deer, or fish), with nutritional characteristics, texture, flavor, and odor very similar to the meat subject matter of the substitution, containing at least one of the following meats: beef, pork, poultry, or fish, or a combination of the above, and supplemented with vegetable protein.
2. Background
The existing food industry has had to become ever more involved in the driving of new technologies for the manufacturing of food products which, besides being nutritional, are functional and practical. Over time, food processing techniques have substantially improved; currently, products are processed with characteristics similar to the meat subject matter of the substitution, but with no meat, the so-called meat analogs; in U.S. Patent Application Publication 20040161513 a method is described for the preparation of soy-based meat analog products, which although they may be similar products regarding aspect and texture, their application is limited to diet purposes, which require to be seasoned before they are consumed and they do not always have the attributes required by the consumer. U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,884 describes a meat and soy protein product for hamburgers with the purpose of inhibiting cholesterol increase in blood.
The above is a sample of recent developments, and has given rise to products that are accepted by a very small market sector, generally consumers worried about dieting. In addition, most consumers demand food that is primarily nutritional, provides them with sufficient energy to carry out their daily work, has a practical use, is inexpensive, and tastes good. In developing countries, protein-rich food, like meats, is scarce and is the hardest to be acquired by people of certain socio-economical status. It is relatively simple to manufacture food containing proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins, minerals, etc. This may be done by combining all the constituents with the suitable concentrations, but the greatest problem of these developments is to manufacture a product with the proper texture, flavor, shelf-life, appearance and odor characteristics. When components are mixed, the fact that food has to fulfill certain conditions that are appealing to consumers and arouse their interest should be taken into account. Additionally, they should feature some characteristics that allow to process or prepare them with almost no problems.
The process subject matter of this invention is suitable for the preparation of food products that are closely similar in terms of texture, flavor, appearance, color and nutrition characteristics to the product to be replaced, besides including such attributes as practical use, affordability, and a long shelf-life. Additionally, their protein richness and quality have made hard for meat products to be replaced by any substitute.
Owing to its composition, meat is a favorable substrate for the development of microorganisms. During preparation, the handling of these products may introduce undesirable microorganisms, making them hard to preserve. The cold chain reduces the activity of micro-organisms and enzymes, but there are failures in the cold chain. The method proposed herein includes the step of the frying/cooking process and the addition of a mix of preservers, with which products free from pathogens and with shelf-lives longer than 40 days at 0-4° C. are obtained. Furthermore, it meets the consumer's demand in terms of ready-to-heat-and-eat food.
One of the advantages of this invention is that the characteristics of the meat-vegetable protein product are determined by the formulation and the process, so the ingredient contents may be handled and a nutritional level similar or higher than the meat subject matter of the substitution may be obtained; the above is translated into a value-added alternative for producers, customers, and consumers.
Extrusion is used to give shape, thus it is especially useful for the processing of substitute meat. Clearly, extrusion is one of the key steps in this process and basically consists of compressing food until a semi-solid dough is obtained, which is afterwards passed through a small opening or placed in a mold that allows obtaining a great range of textures and forms from an initial mix.
Thus, according to this invention, a method for the preparation of a meat-based extruded food product is provided, which may be pork, beef, poultry, fish, or a mix thereof, as well as different vegetable proteins. The development of this technology is made up of several process steps that, as a whole, create value attributes in manufactured products, turning it into a competitive advantage for the company, because they allow:                a. The manufacturing of food products with sensorial characteristics and a taste level similar to that of the meat that is being substituted.        b. The manufacturing of low-cost products that are available to a broad population sector (low-income)        c. A texture softer than meat subject matter of the substitution.        d. A greater performance over the meat subject matter of the substitution, during their preparation or application.        e. A shelf life longer than that of the meat subject matter of the substitution, and free of pathogens.        f. A nutritional value similar or improved in some nutriments in relation to the meat subject matter of the substitution.        